It's barely the end of October, so that can only mean one thing - Christmas is coming.
Halloween isn't even here and Bonfire Night is yet to come, but already the advent calendars are back in the supermarkets, Greggs has started its Festive Bake countdown and Tyson Fury has announced a Christmas single with Robbie Williams .
And now, the building has begun on Manchester's Christmas Markets .
Nothing signals the start of the festive season (or autumn, as it's commonly known) like the familiar sight of wooden huts filling the city.
The first cabins are already being assembled in Cathedral Gardens, where the ice rink is also under construction.
It will be home to the family-friendly area of the markets and the Ice Village, which features a cavern filled with ice sculptures and an ice tiki bar as well as the rink.
Cages full of penguin skating aids were pictured being delivered to the site on Friday after building work began earlier in the week.
The Albert Square site will begin to take shape over the weekend. What has traditionally been the main market hub will be around two thirds of its usual size this year, to make way for the ongoing renovation of the town hall.
The markets are expected to move out of the square altogether next year as the work continues, with the focus shifting to the new Christmas markets site in Piccadilly Gardens.
The new Piccadilly site will be home to dozens of new stalls, food traders and bars including a snow globe bar .
The markets will stretch to eight locations this year, with stalls also lining Market Street, Exchange Square, New Cathedral Street, King Street and St Ann's Square.
Building work will be completed in phases, street by street, over the coming weeks.
The markets open on Friday November 8 and run until Saturday December 21. The Albert Square stalls will remain open for an extra day on Sunday December 22.
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